Prayer For Healing
Introduction
In Year I, the first reading comes from the wisdom book of Ben Sirach, a high-placed Jewish official of Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC. Whatever wisdom a human person can acquire through education and experience falls far short of true and full wisdom which comes from God and which often puts human wisdom to shame. Indeed, human wisdom is sometimes folly, and God’s folly, as the wisdom of the cross, is genuine wisdom.
Jesus heals a man who is possessed. He demands faith and trusting prayer, otherwise we are closed to God’s action. Mark describes the healing of the possessed boy in terms of a raising up, like the cure of the mother-in-law of Peter or the raising up of the daughter of Jairus. By his touch Jesus heals and restores life.
Reading 1: Sirach 1:1-10
All wisdom comes from the LORD
and with him it remains forever, and is before all time
The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain,
the days of eternity: who can number these?
Heaven’s height, earth’s breadth,
the depths of the abyss: who can explore these?
Before all things else wisdom was created;
and prudent understanding, from eternity.
The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom
and her ways are everlasting.
To whom has wisdom’s root been revealed?
Who knows her subtleties?
To whom has the discipline of wisdom been revealed?
And who has understood the multiplicity of her ways?
There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring,
seated upon his throne:
There is but one, Most High
all-powerful creator-king and truly awe-inspiring one,
seated upon his throne and he is the God of dominion.
It is the LORD; he created her through the Holy Spirit,
has seen her and taken note of her.
He has poured her forth upon all his works,
upon every living thing according to his bounty;
he has lavished her upon his friends.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R.(1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R .The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Alleluia: cf. 2 Timothy 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mark 9:14-29
As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John
and approached the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.
Immediately on seeing him,
the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
They ran up to him and greeted him.
He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
Someone from the crowd answered him,
“Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”
He said to them in reply,
“O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.”
They brought the boy to him.
And when he saw him,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around
and foam at the mouth.
Then he questioned his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?”
He replied, “Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus said to him,
“‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”
Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!”
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!”
But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,
“Why could we not drive the spirit out?”
He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”
Commentary
Evil is violent; goodness is serene. Today’s readings illustrate this point well. The evil spirit that has taken hold of the young boy throws him into convulsions and dreadful seizures. It has been suggested more than once that the boy’s symptoms point to epilepsy as the illness. This may well have been the case, but the fact remains that the illness put the child in serious danger before he is cured at his father’s request. The reading from Sirach praises wisdom, God’s first creation. The wisdom of God is personified in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Wisdom appears clearly in the works of creation. It is “fine-tuned” in the countless sands of the seashore, the raindrops, and the endless number of days. It is present in the vastness of the heavens and the depths of the underworld. It is the Lord who stands behind wisdom and has lavished her so abundantly upon the earth.
And how does wisdom come to life in the hearts of humans? Through fear of the Lord, whose praises are sung so often in the Bible. This fear is not servile or full of dread. Rather it has the meaning of reverent recognition. Children “fear” their parents in the sense that they honour them. It is in this sense of honour and respect that humans have fear of the Lord. As free creatures, we have choices to make. We can go in the senseless direction of irreverence and chaos. Or we can take our place in a wise creation by a respectful adherence to God and his will.
The young boy in the Gospel was freed of the spirit of chaotic evil. Once cured, he lay as if dead. At the touch of Jesus he is brought to full consciousness. Jesus says that only prayer overcomes this type of demon. People ask today, half in jest, how they can get rid of their demons. Sirach gives the answer. Make better choices. Follow wisdom’s lead. With prayerful attention, any demon can be expelled.
Blessing
Touching people, taking them by the hand, freeing them from their isolation and raising them up from their sadness and hopelessness is also our task, as we continue the work of Jesus. Let us do so with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!